Whispers of Charisse's Heart
by Kh-hp-Disneylover809
Summary: When Haru comes, she breaks the monotonous life that is of the Bureau...until she gets kidnapped. It is up to Baron, Charisse, Muta, and Toto to save the young girl from getting married. Along the way, Charisse's feelings escalade for Baron. How much can one Creation take? Baron/OC, past Baron/Louise, Haru/OC, mentioned Shizuku/Seiji!
1. Prologue

Prologue: The Whispers of the Heart

_**A/N: This is the story of how Charisse and Baron's relationship came to be as mentioned in Baron's Temporary Loss of Composure, starting at the aftermath of Louise's death!**_

"Louise, please!" cried Charisse as she evaded the possessed white cat statuette's sword. "I'm so sorry! I'm not having an affair with Baron!"

That was what the fight was about; the evil magician cat that possessed Louise made her believe Baron was having an affair with Charisse, an American cat statuette Baron took in. Charisse did harbor feelings for Baron but she respected that he had a fiancée and did all that she could to help find the missing Louise. The pictures of Louise that Baron painted in Charisse's head didn't seem like the Louise the American statuette was fighting.

"He betrayed me," hissed Louise in a tone full of malice, "for you! He…cheated on me because of you!" She held her sword up and pointed it at Charisse as she spoke.

"He'd be crazy to do that," replied Charisse desperately, shaking her head. "Louise, he loves you! He always have! I'm pretty sure he always will! I may have feelings for him but he loves you! I would never seduce him for personal gain!"

The malicious look on Louise's face wavered for a second. It looked like Louise was back in control of her own body but then the furious look came back. She let out a laugh that made shivers go down Charisse's spine and shook her head. Her sapphire eyes were once again full of hatred as she glowered at the statuette in front of her.

"If only I could believe you," hissed Louise hatefully. "You did seduce him, you little whore, and that's why he's in love with you! It's all because of you!"

"I've never slept with your fiancé!" argued Charisse, feeling stung by injustice. "Please believe me!"

Louise said nothing but parried the blade to stab Charisse in the chest. Charisse only acted on instinct: She moved out of the way, kicked the blade out of Louise's hands, and stabbed the possessed statuette in the heart. Blood dripped from the wound and a smile twisted its way on Louise's face. She fell to ground but Charisse caught her and cradled her gently. Tears welled up in Charisse's eyes and it felt like she was stabbed in the heart instead.

"I'm so sorry, Louise…" wept Charisse, her tears dripping down on to Louise's face. "I never…I couldn't…"

"Don't apologize," whispered Louise weakly as she smiled at Charisse, "it was my fault. That magician possessed me but you…you set me free. Thank you, Charisse…Oh, will you tell Humbert that I'm sorry and I love him…"

"No," replied Charisse firmly, causing Louise to look up at her quizzically. "No, I'm not telling Baron anything because you will be fine. You will live to tell him that. You'll be fine!"

"I'm…dying," was Louise's weak response.

"No you're not," objected Charisse, shaking her head.

"I am," breathed Louise tearfully, tears rolling down her face. "Please…tell Humbert I love him and I'm sorry, Charisse. Swear to me you will. And tell him to move on. I don't want him to suffer forever. He deserves happiness. He deserves you…I wouldn't choose anyone better. Thank you, Charisse. You two were meant…to be…" Then, Louise became limp in Charisse's arms and breathed her last.

Wild gasps escaped from Charisse as she stared at Louise's dead body. Tears soaked into her fur and she cried like a child. She couldn't breathe…it felt like she was hyperventilating. She kept shaking Louise's body in an attempt to wake her up but nothing worked. Charisse couldn't even form words because how hard she was sobbing.

Suddenly, Baron was at her side and he gazed at Louise's body with grief. Tears poured from his green eyes and he shook his head, unable to speak. Then, he bent down and pressed a gentle kiss to Louise's lips before gathering Charisse in a hug to calm her nervous system. Charisse tried to fight it but Baron was stronger than her so she gave up and allowed Baron to hold her.

"It was all my fault…"wept Charisse as he held her. "I…only acted on instinct, Baron. She tried to stab me but it kicked the sword out of her hands and stabbed her. I'm so sorry!"

Baron said nothing but held Charisse tightly, allowing himself to mourn for the death of his beloved fiancée. Now he had to pick up the pieces of this and remain strong for Charisse. _I promise you, my love, _he thought towards Louise. _I will love you forever…_

_ "And I will love you forever," _Louise's sweet voice whispered as the breeze passed by. _"Take care of her, Humbert, and treasure her always…"_

_ I will, Louise, _he thought back, closing his eyes to prevent the tears from spilling forth. _I promise…_

The two statuettes held each other as they mourned the loss of Louise, a kind yet troubled soul who left too quickly.

...

It's been five days, thought Charisse, drifting back to the time she killed Louise, Baron's past fiancée. She still blamed herself for what had happened, even when Baron told her it wasn't her fault. Everything was her fault: Louise was murdered when she could have been saved. It was only because of her that Louise had died; it was only because of her that Baron had lost his one true love.

_I'll never forgive myself, _Charisse thought as she curled up on Baron's loveseat in the Bureau.

From that day on, Charisse closed her heart off and never let anyone in again. It would only be five years later that she would let someone into her life…

_**A/N: Short Prologue but the story will be longer, I promise. Please R&R! No flames!**_


	2. Chapter 1

Chapter 1: Haru

It had been five years since that day and Charisse tried to ignore the past because it would hurt her if she remembered. She looked at Baron and saw that he was in his statue form. Shaking her head, she smiled because Baron was so theatrical. Of course he would act dramatic in his statue form. Charisse walked up to him and touched his frozen hand gently before sitting down on the sofa. She picked up a book and began reading it until the sun shined into the Bureau.

Squinting into the light, Charisse saw a human girl standing out near the Bureau and she became shocked. It had been a long time since they had a customer. The girl looked awed at the fact that the place existed. Before Charisse could stand up, the place filled with the light from the setting sun and it landed solely on the Baron. While the light blinded her a bit, Charisse was used to this because Baron always loved a dramatic entrance. The sun set behind the buildings and Baron came to life.

As soon as he did, the Bureau doors opened and the cat gentleman stepped out to greet the awed human. Charisse got to her feet and followed him faithfully. When the two got to the girl, they gave her a polite welcome and smiled at her.

"Good evening," said Baron in that husky voice that could make any sane girl blush; the girl did.

"Welcome to the Bureau," added Charisse, smiling at the girl with a sisterly look on her face. It had been a while since Charisse had been in the female company and she always wished for female companionship.

The girl clumsily stumbled forward and stared at the two creations with awe. "Wow, you're so cool…" she whispered, looking amazed.

"Thank you," replied Baron with a grin on his face. "In case you haven't noticed, you're in a world quite different from your own. This is a refuge for creations. Whenever someone creates something with all of their hearts, then that creation is given a soul, you see?

"Like me, Charisse, and Toto there," he continued calmly, nodding towards the stone statue crow Toto.

The bird came to life and stretched his wings before turning to look at the three.

"T-that's…"stammered the girl, not knowing what to say.

"That is Toto," explained Charisse kindly, "the stone statue with a soul."

"I see we have a visitor today, Baron, Charisse," remarked the bird in a low yet polite voice. "How unusual…"

"Indeed," replied Baron, nodding in agreement, "she's quite a fetching one too."

Something in Charisse's stomach deflated when she heard Baron say that to the girl because she wanted to hear him say that to her. As selfish as it seemed, Charisse wanted Baron's affection, but now he was giving it to the beautiful human girl who just crossed their paths. Instead of showing it, Charisse forced a smile and swallowed back her emotions.

"Did he say Baron?" asked the girl, giving Baron a curious look.

Baron put on his top hat and smiled at the girl. "I am Baron Humbert von Gikkingen," he introduced himself suavely. "The artisan who created me gave me that title."

"I'll just call you Baron," replied the girl, smiling slightly.

"Right," he said, changing the subject, "let's get down to business: You say you're having trouble with those cats from the Cat Kingdom."

Suddenly, the girl let out a cry of shock and she straightened like a bow. "That's right!" she exclaimed before calming down. "Just yesterday I saved their prince from getting hit by a truck and the whole Cat Kingdom won't stop trying to repay me."

"I see," remarked Baron, placing a hand to his chin in contemplation.

"Serves you right," snorted Muta, the large white cat reclining on the bench near the office. "Thought you could help the poor kitty, did you? You should have minded your own business, lady."

"Muta!" cried Charisse in shock, giving him a wide-eyed look. "How could you say a thing like that?"

"Muta, what in the world is your problem!" demanded Toto, looking pissed. "This girl saved one of your own kind! You should be grateful, you idiot!" With that, he flew from his post and perched himself on top of the Bureau.

"And where did you come across her, Muta?" asked Baron politely, turning to the cat patiently.

"At the crossroads," replied the cat obediently. "Somehow she knew about the Cat Bureau."

The girl looked a little apprehensive. "That's because," she said quietly, "a voice told me about it. I don't know whose voice it was, though."

"A voice?" repeated Baron and Charisse in one voice.

"You're hearing voices?" asked Muta incredulously. "You should check yourself into a loony bin. Don't bother us with your mental—Ow!" Suddenly, he was broken off when Toto swiped him with his talons.

"Knock it off!" yowled Muta, glaring at the bird.

"You knock it off!" returned the bird shortly. "Quit being so catty!"

"Don't try that again!" shouted the cat but he was once again broken off by Toto swiping at him again.

Soon, the two started arguing incoherently and the girl looked alarmed. She started towards them but Baron and Charisse stepped in her way.

"You guys!" she cried out, holding her hand up. "I'll just leave! I don't wanna cause any trouble!" Then, she locked eyes with Baron, who gave her a curious look.

"I didn't get your name," remarked Baron, staring up at her.

"Uh, Haru…" stammered the girl nervously. "It's Haru."

"Well, Miss Haru," said Baron politely, side-stepping, "please step into the Bureau." With that, he and Charisse turned on their heels and walked towards the office.

Haru hesitated because of the fight between the cat and crow but Charisse reassured her. "Don't worry about them," she said calmly as she walked. "They always do that."

The two creations entered the office and Haru crawled in after them. Charisse sat down on one of Baron's old chairs and crossed her legs politely. Baron went to the armoire and began pulling out tea cups and ingredients to make the said drink. Haru sat herself down on one of Baron's large crates and smiled sweetly.

"Would like milk with your tea or lemon?" asked Baron kindly, mixing the ingredients together.

"Milk please," she replied eagerly, eyes glowing brightly.

"Good choice," said Baron, making the tea as quickly as possible.

"You have great taste, Baron," breathed Haru, looking at the place in astonishment.

"Here you are," said Baron, handing Haru the small cup full of tea.

"Thank you," she replied gratefully, taking the small cup in her fingers. "How cute…"

"That's my own personal blend of tea," explained Baron with his index finger pointed up. "It's different every time so I can't guarantee the taste."

The girl took a sip and smiled. "This is the best tea I've ever tasted," she said joyfully, giving Baron a soft look.

"Then you're lucky," he replied kindly, giving her a gentle look in return.

Charisse felt so…invisible, like no one noticed her presence. She quietly sat in her chair as Baron gave her the tea with a friendly smile. Faking a smile, she gave Haru a kind look and nodded to her as she took a sip of her own tea. The young woman looked between the two and her eyes lit up.

"Oh!" she gasped as if she solved a mystery. "Are you two married?"

That question made both Charisse and Baron choke on their drinks but Baron recovered himself fast enough to reply.

"No, Miss Haru," he replied politely with a shake of his head. "Charisse is one of my trusted subordinates. She's my best friend and I know this business wouldn't exist without her." He gave the female creation a tender look that made Charisse do something silly: She accidently poured some tea onto her dress front.

"Ouch!" she cried, correcting the cup, as the hot liquid sank into her fur. "Clumsy me…" She flushed brightly when she saw Baron and Haru staring at her in concern. "I'm fine," she continued softly. "Really…" She faked another smile and resumed drinking her tea.

"Best tea ever, Baron," she said gently, taking another sip before setting it down.

"Still tastes like boiled grass to me," snorted Muta as he walked in, looking hassled.

"Tea is too refined for your crude taste buds," replied Toto harshly as he came in from the awning window.

"At least I don't eat worms," was Muta's growling retort as he planted himself down on the loveseat Baron owned.

"Muta," said Baron, sitting down in the seat across from Charisse, "why don't you have a seat and kindly tell us what you know of the Kingdom of Cats, please."

"It's a dangerous place," muttered Muta, shuddering lightly. "You shouldn't set foot in there if you don't believe in yourself."

"A very valid point," replied Charisse, nodding her assessment.

"They said not only will they kidnap me," revealed Haru, breathless from fear, "they're going to force me to get married to the king's son, Prince Lune."

"So why don't you do it, kid?" asked Muta slyly, giving her a smirk. "You'd be set for life."

"Are you crazy?" exclaimed Haru, eyebrows and voice rising in shock.

"What, it might not be all that bad," replied the white cat, sounding careless.

"That's ridiculous," snorted Toto disapprovingly.

"She won't know until she tries it," retorted Muta with a shrug.

Before another fight could break out, Baron spoke up. "Now, then," he said, setting his cup on the coffee table before standing up, "I've always entertained the idea of paying a visit to the Kingdom of Cats. Perhaps now is the time."

"Have a nice trip, Baron," was Muta's sarcastic remark. "Hope you make it back someday."

"You and Charisse are coming with me," replied Baron sternly, giving Muta a firm look.

"Naw, I'll pass," said Muta, putting his paws behind his head, "but thanks for thinking of me."

"But Baron," cried Toto fearfully, eyes going wide, "you're not going to leave her here, are you?"

"We can't leave her unprotected," admitted Baron, pacing his study a bit, "but if Muta wants to stay here, he can keep an eye on her, hmm?" He gave the white cat a look.

"No way!" protested Muta, stung by injustice. "You can't leave her here! I'm not babysitting!"

"Why?" asked Baron sarcastically, giving his friend a tough look. "Are you busy at the moment?"

"Not really," was Muta's carefree reply, shrugging again.

"Listen," whispered Haru sadly, "I'll just go home." She began moving towards the door.

All three cats let out sounds of shock and Toto gave her a quiet "what?" as Haru crawled towards the entrance.

"Muta was right," she admitted dully. "I shouldn't have gotten myself involved with those cats in the first place. I'll figure something out."

"Well, then," said Baron, giving Muta a look, "so sorry the Cat Bureau couldn't be of any help to you." He kept staring at Muta pointedly until the cat snapped under pressure.

"Alright," he hissed angrily. "I'll watch the little baby…"

"Good kitty~" taunted Toto with a smirk on his beak.

Baron and Charisse smiled and gave Haru a gentle look. "Then it's all settled," said Baron calmly. "You'll stay right here with Muta."

"You sure?" asked Haru, giving Baron an uncertain look.

"Oh don't you worry about Muta," replied Baron carelessly. "He likes to complain a lot but actually he has a heart of gold."

"I see," murmured Haru with grin on her face. "So he's just a big softie."

"You could say that," replied Charisse, smiling brightly.

Muta let out an exaggerated sigh and shook his head. "And this is the thanks I get…" he muttered to himself.

"Thank you for your help, Moo-ta," said Haru before she could think it through. Then, she gasped and placed a hand to her mouth in shame.

"What!?" demanded Muta, springing to attack-mode. "Moo! Did you just say I'm a fat cow!?"

"No, you're just fat!" cried Haru in an attempt to save her skin but failing drastically.

Overhead, Toto hid a chuckle behind his wing and smirked. "I'm liking this girl more and more each minute," he said laughingly.

"I'm out of here!" shouted Muta, getting to his feet to walk to the door.

Baron, however, knew how to diffuse the tension. "That's too bad," he said calmly. "I was just about to get some angel food cake out of the cupboard."

That got Muta's attention. "Where in the cupboard?" he asked desperately, running to the closest cupboards.

"Uh, it's in the upper-right shelf," replied Baron, pointing to the said cupboard.

"Why didn't you say so?" asked Muta, pulling out the cake from the cupboard.

"I feel our guest deserves a proper afternoon tea," explained Baron, grabbing his inkwell and quill so Muta wouldn't make a mess of it.

"This calls for some of my special mulberries," said Toto joyfully, turning in leave.

Haru let out a pleased gasp and smiled. "You're too much, Baron," she said sweetly. "A tea party and everything. Is there anything I can do?"

Baron turned and gave her a serious look. "Yes there is one thing," he replied firmly, walking up to her. "I need you to learn just one thing. Always believe in yourself. Do this, and no matter where you are, you will have nothing to fear."

The girl nodded, staring at Baron like he was a bright star in the sky. Charisse felt her heart sink and she had to swallow her tears back. _Why am I feeling jealous? _She asked herself, confused over her jumble of feelings. _Baron's not mine; I don't own him. He's free to like anyone he wants to…_

"Baron!" barked Muta, getting the cat gentleman's attention. "Give me a hand with this whipped cream!"

Baron gave Muta a frown and began walking over to him. "You're going all out," he remarked dryly as he approached Muta.

"You better believe it," replied the white cat, giving Baron the whipped cream.

Charisse saw Haru give Baron a smile and a twinge of jealousy touched her heart. Life wasn't fair, Charisse knew this. It wasn't fair that Haru, a girl who barely knew Baron, was taking him from Charisse, who knew him all along. She couldn't let it get to her, though. Haru needed help, and she would get it.

"Who knows," the female creation heard Haru say to herself, "maybe this is the world I belong in…"

Suddenly, a knock on the door got the girls' attention and Haru began inching towards it.

"Hey, is that Toto?" asked Haru, moving to open it.

When Haru opened the door, a cat walked in and smiled at the girl. "It's time to go to our kingdom, Miss Haru," he said in a bubbly voice.

Haru let out a shriek and stood to her feet in a flash. "You again!" she cried, sounding afraid.

All of a sudden, the parlor was full of cats and they ran around Haru, causing her to fall. Her screams alerted Baron and Muta and Charisse tried to dash forward but the cats overwhelmed her. They ran out of the parlor with Haru on top of them like Aladdin on his magic carpet and Toto came flying in frantically.

"Baron! Baron!" he gasped out frantically. "A bunch of cats are headed this way! Oh, no…" He saw that he was too late and looked guilty.

"A little late, Birdbrain!" shouted Muta, dashing out of the bureau.

Baron pulled out his jacket and ran over to where Toto was perched. He grabbed Charisse by the waist and helped her up onto Toto's perch.

"Toto, give us a lift!" he ordered firmly, jumping up on Toto.

Then, he grabbed Charisse's hands and pulled her up so she would be sitting behind him. Once both passengers were secure, Toto spread his wings and flew off. Charisse wrapped her arms around Baron's waist and rested her head on his back, closing her eyes as the wind rushed. She loved Baron; she knew that. Even if he didn't love her back, she still loved him.

_**A/N: Long chapter! Next is the invasion of the Cat Kingdom! I love Haru to bits but Charisse doesn't (yet). Their relationship will be a bit strained in the beginning. R&R please!**_


End file.
